


The Gift

by alvares715



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akuma Attack, F/M, Gift Giving, Marichat | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Original Kwamis, Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:41:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 17,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26275063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alvares715/pseuds/alvares715
Summary: A simple gift between friends changes everything for Adrien and Marinette.This fanfiction takes place after season three.It started out as a gift, how did it end up like this?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 28
Kudos: 177





	1. Chapter 1

Beep... beep... beep... 

Marinette groggily opened her eyes to the sound of her alarm. It couldn't be morning already, it just couldn't. She reached over to her phone to turn off the annoying sound. Ten more minutes, that's all she needed. She pressed the button to silence the phone and pulled the covers over her head.

The covers were pulled away, exposing her eyes to the daylight streaming in through the windows. She quickly turned over and buried her face into her pillow.

"Marinette!" her kwami, Tikki, exclaimed. "You have to wake up. It's the first day of school!"

"Ughhhhhh" the girl replied.

The new school year was starting. Not that she minded school, it was the fact that now she had yet another commitment to occupy her time.

School meant five days each week of classes, plus homework, plus studying. All she had to do was add all of that to her busy schedule.

Her schedule, filled with helping her parents out in the bakery that they owned, making time to see her friends, oh, and saving Paris from a deranged supervillain that terrorized the city with butterflies.

Her superhero alter-ego Ladybug had to fight akumatized victims, go on patrol with her partner Chat Noir, and learn to be the new Guardian of the Miracle Box. 

No wonder she didn't have time for a boyfriend. Some sparks flew between her and Luka during the summer, but nothing ever materialized. It didn't help matters that she was still trying to get over her huge crush on Adrien. 

The summer. Back when she had some free time. The good old days. 

Marinette finally sat up in her bed and stretched. She looked over at Tikki. "This is going to be a long year."

************************************

The pretty blunette quickly made her way to her school, not too difficult when you literally live next to it. Her best friend Alya was on the front steps chatting with her boyfriend Nino. He had his arm around her shoulder. They were clearly in love. 

Alya smiled at seeing her friend. "Hey girl, you actually made it on time!"

"And on our first day, too" Nino chimed in. "This is a brand new Marinette we're meeting."

"Ha ha" Marinette deadpanned. 

"We're just messing with you" Alya said, winking at her. "Now, for the serious stuff. What do you want to hear first? The good news or the bad news?"

"Give me the bad news first."

"Chloé is in our class again" the redhead told her.

Marinette groaned. She still had a perfect record of getting stuck in the same class as the spoiled brat. "And the good news?" she asked. She could really use some good news right about now.

Alya beamed at her. "Adrien is in our class too."

Marinette was hoping for something that would make her feel better. Another year of being in the same class as the boy she loved. Another year of being constantly reminded of the fact that he didn't love her back and probably never would. 

At least one good thing had come from her busy summer. She didn't have a lot of time to obsess over him. It had been a nice break. 

"Awesome" she said, lacklusterly.

Alya and Nino glanced at each other at hearing her reaction. This really was a new Marinette. 

At that moment a silver towncar stopped in front of the building. Adrien got out and walked up to the group. 

"Dude!" Nino shouted, seeing his best friend. "Seems like you're stuck with us for another year!"

"Awesome!" Adrien replied back, fist bumping Nino. "Hey" he said, turning to Alya and Marinette.

"Hey Adrien, how was your summer? I feel like we barely saw you" Alya said. 

"You can blame my father for that. He's still as overprotective as he's always been."

"At least we'll get to hang out here" Nino said. 

Adrien smiled that perfect smile of his. Last year Marinette would have melted into a pile of goo after seeing that smile, but right now she felt like breaking down and crying. That beautiful smile would never be for her. He was in love with someone else.

"Hey Marinette" she heard him say, shaking her from her thoughts. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Oh, I'm a little tired" she answered, adjusting the straps of her backpack. 

Adrien nodded at her, but he was confused. It wasn't like Marinette to look so down, she always seemed so happy and full of life, even when she was tired.

It was time to go inside, so the four students made their way to Miss Bustier's classroom. After a couple of minutes of greeting their classmates, everyone settled into their seats. 

Marinette sighed. She was sitting right behind Adrien again. All she wanted to do was forget about him and his gorgeous blond hair. 

Shutting her eyes, she took in a deep breath. What was she doing? This wasn't her. With all of her new responsibilities she had let herself get too stressed out. And with the stress came the sadness. She exhaled and opened her eyes. 

What she didn't expect was for Adrien to have turned around to face her. She jumped slightly at seeing his green eyes staring into hers. He gave her a small smile, which she returned. Then he turned back towards the teacher. 

Adrien might not ever love her, but that didn't mean that they couldn't be friends. He was sweet and caring, and Marinette still wanted him to be a part of her life. Just not in the role she originally wanted for him.

It wasn't his fault anyway. She had multiple chances to confess her feelings to him, but it never happened. Who knows, maybe they would be together if she had said something. 

But that was in the past. There's nothing she could do about that now. He was dating Kagami, and they were perfect for each other. 

She had to let this go. It was eating her up inside. It wasn't good for her, and it wasn't good for Paris. She had to focus on what was really important. Life isn't about getting what you want. It's about doing the right thing.


	2. Chapter 2

The morning session went by quickly. Before they knew it, it was time for lunch.

"How about if we all go to the park for our lunch hour today? It's been forever since the four of us hung out!" Alya suggested. 

The others nodded in agreement. "I'll go pick up some food from the bakery" Marinette said. "I'll meet you guys there."

She scurried home and grabbed a take-out bag, filling it with sandwiches and cookies. The others were waiting for her on a shady bench under a tree in the park. They all dug into the bag and started eating. 

"Wow, this is really good Marinette." Adrien commented while eating a sandwich. "Did you make these?"

"No, my parents made them" she replied. 

"Oh, okay. What about the cookies?" he asked. 

"Nope. My parents. I usually just help out at the register. I try to leave the baking to the experts."

Alya and Nino stared at Marinette as they ate. Was she actually having a normal conversation with Adrien? They weren't the only ones to think it was unusual.

Adrien smiled at her but didn't say anything back.

"What?" Marinette asked after a minute, noticing his gaze. 

"You're not stuttering like you used to" he said, putting his hand to the back of his neck. "Not that it was bad or anything" he added, not wanting her to feel self conscious. 

"Right, the stuttering" she said, grabbing a chocolate chip cookie. 

"It's just a little strange to hear you stop" Adrien continued. "You used to stutter all the time last year."

"Well yeah, because I was in love with you" Marinette responded, taking a bite. 

Alya and Nino's mouths both fell open simultaneously, with a half-chewed piece of bread coming out of Nino's. 

Adrien's face immediately dropped. Then he managed to regain an uncertain smile as he glanced over to Alya and Nino, before looking back at Marinette. "You're joking."

Marinette shook her head. "No, I'm serious. You never noticed that I only stuttered around you?" She had a neutral expression on her face, like she had this type of conversation everyday. 

"I, uh..." Adrien didn't know how to respond. 

"Marinette, maybe we should go inside" Alya offered.

"No, it's okay" the blunette continued. "I mean, he was going to find out eventually. Why not right now? Then we can all move past it." She took another bite of the cookie. 

There was a minute of silence before Adrien tried to speak again. "Wh... why didn't you, um... say anything be... before?"

"I did try to tell you. Several times, actually. But every time something weird happened. Like one time I made you a gift and then the note got lost. And that time I completed your Valentine's Day poem, but I forgot to sign it. And then of course I confessed my feelings to you when we all made that video, but your cousin erased it. I'm sure there were a couple more, but that's all I can think of at the moment."

Alya put her palms up to her forehead. Nino still had his mouth open. 

Adrien glanced between them and Marinette. "I, uh... I'm sorry?" He didn't mean for it to sound like a question. 

"You don't have to be sorry. Like I said, something happened every time." She paused for a moment in reflection. "Almost like fate had other plans." She paused again and then shook her head. "Anyway, sorry for springing all of this on you, but you would have found out one way or another. I mean, it wasn't like it was a big secret or anything."

"It wasn't?" he asked slowly. 

"No, I'm pretty sure that you're the only one who didn't know" Marinette said. 

Adrien looked over at Alya and Nino, who both avoided eye contact. 

Marinette finished her last bite. "Alright, well I'm going back to class. You want to come with, Alya?" she asked her friend. 

"Uh yeah" she replied, standing up and joining Marinette as she walked towards the building. 

Nino looked over at Adrien apprehensively. "So, uh... crazy first day, huh?"

************************************

Adrien couldn't focus during his afternoon classes. All he could think about was what Marinette had said during lunch. Was he really that oblivious? 

She had made him a gift that he didn't know about? What was it? 

And she was the one who had responded to his poem, not Ladybug. He threw it away in the trash can in Miss Bustier's classroom, so it makes sense that it was someone at school. 

Then there's Felix. Of course he had to delete the video. What was his problem anyway?

Did Marinette really have that much bad luck? Or was it fate just like she said?

Before he knew it the school day was over and he was walking outside with Nino. Marinette and Alya trailed behind them.

"So... uh..." Nino tried to think of something to say as the four friends stood on the sidewalk. 

Alya spoke up. "Well we're going to head out."

"See you guys tomorrow" Marinette said as the couple took off. She turned to Adrien, who was intently focused on his orange sneakers at the moment. "So, are you going to be like, super awkward around me now?" 

He couldn't help but smile as he looked up at her. "I'll try not to be."

"Seriously, don't worry about it. That was a long time ago, and I know that you're in love with Kagami."

"You think that I'm in love with Kagami?" he asked. 

"Well, yeah. You told me you were" Marinette replied. 

Adrien blinked at her. "When did I tell you that?" He would never have said that. It simply wasn't true.

She let out a small laugh and looked down at her own shoes. "You said it on the way home from the wax museum."

Now Adrien looked back down. 

Marinette continued. "You said that the girl you love didn't like pranks. You were talking about Kagami, right?" 

"Uh, no. Actually I wasn't" he admitted, looking up at her. 

She looked at him confused. "Well who were you talking about then?"

He put his hand to the back of his neck. "I, uh... I don't want to say. It's kind of embarrassing."

She tilted her head at him. "I tried to kiss a wax statue of you. There's nothing more embarrassing than that."

He couldn't help but smile again. 

"Come on" Marinette pleaded with him. "You can tell me. I promise I won't say anything."

"Alright" Adrien said slowly. "I was actually talking about..."

Honk.

Adrien turned towards the waiting car. His bodyguard was getting impatient. "I guess I have to go" he said, facing Marinette. 

"No worries. I'll see you tomorrow" she said, smiling. 

He smiled back before leaving.


	3. Chapter 3

Thoughts of Marinette continued to occupy Adrien's mind as he went home and had his Chinese lesson. 

After dinner he went to his room. Once alone his kwami Plagg popped out of his shirt. "That was an interesting day, don't you think?" he asked teasingly. 

Adrien sighed. "I can't believe that I never figured out that Marinette was in love with me."

"Don't stress about it, kid. There's a lot of things that you can't figure out."

"Not helping Plagg" Adrien replied, clearly annoyed.

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry. But I'm just wondering, why didn't you tell her that you weren't dating Kagami anymore?"

"I don't know" he said. "I guess that I didn't want to make things more awkward than they already were." He closed his eyes. "We'll finish talking about this later. We have to meet Ladybug for patrol in ten minutes."

"But I didn't even get a chance to eat yet!" the kwami protested.

Adrien opened his eyes and went over to the mini fridge. "Here you go" he said, tossing a piece of Camembert to Plagg.

He ate it in one bite. "Ready!" he announced. 

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien said, transforming into Chat Noir. 

************************************

Ladybug and Chat Noir always met for patrol at the top of the Eiffle Tower. They rarely found any trouble, but it was good to keep an eye on things.

Chat Noir really liked patrol, it gave him an extra opportunity to get out of his house. Plus, he got to see Ladybug. Although he didn't love her quite like he used to, he still enjoyed being around her. 

Even though she was busy with her extra responsibilities, Ladybug liked patrol. It was her job, after all. Plus, she got to see Chat Noir. Although she didn't return his feelings for her, she still enjoyed his company immensely. He could definitely tone down the cat puns, but other than that, he was a great friend and partner. 

But she wished he would act more like his old self. He used to flirt with her constantly. Always kissing her hand and making up nicknames for her. Although it annoyed her to no end before, she found herself missing it when it stopped a few months ago. She couldn't blame him for stopping. After being rejected so many times he finally gave up trying to win over her heart. It was for the best, but that didn't mean she didn't miss it. 

Ladybug arrived at the meeting point a minute before Chat Noir. "Hi Kitty" she said at seeing him. 

"Ladybug" he replied, bowing to her with a smile. "Same route as usual?"

She nodded, taking out her yo-yo. He took his baton and the two left in different directions. 

Like usual, nothing was going on so they met back up after half an hour.

"Another uneventful evening, huh Ladybug?"

"Yeah, luckily" she replied. 

He sat down at the edge of the platform they were on. "Care to join me?" he asked. 

"I wish I could, Chat. But I have way too much stuff to do. Maybe next time?" she offered with a smile. 

"Next time" he repeated. 

She waved goodbye and swung away. He remained in his spot, enjoying the view of Paris. It was so beautiful at night, with all the lights twinkling around him. His thoughts eventually returned to Marinette and the events of the day. He wondered what she was up to.

Not in a rush to get home, Chat Noir stayed overlooking the city for a while. His yawning alerted him to the fact that it was getting late. He slowly stood up and grabbed his baton, taking off across the rooftops. 

When he got close to his house he saw the person that had occupied most of his thoughts that day. Marinette was out on the balcony that was on top of her bedroom. She was sitting on the floor with her legs crossed and her hands resting on her knees. 

Without even thinking he catapulted himself over and landed on the balcony behind her.

She jumped at the noise and spun around. Her eyes widened at seeing him. "Chat Noir" she said, standing up. "What are you doing here?"

"Sorry if I startled you. I was just passing by and saw you, so I thought I would stop and say hi. Hi!"

"Hi" she said back with a bemused look on her face.

Neither of them spoke for a minute. 

"So, is that it then?" Marinette asked. 

"Yeah, I guess" Chat Noir replied, scratching the back of his head. 

"Okay. Um... have a good night?" she said.

He nodded but didn't move. After a couple of seconds he finally spoke again. "What are you doing sitting there?"

"Oh, some meditation."

"That's cool. I didn't know that you meditated."

"I kind of picked it up recently. It's supposed to help clear your mind. I don't know if I've quite gotten a hold on it yet, but I'm trying."

"Why do you need to clear your mind?" he asked, confused. 

She paused for a moment and looked down. "It's kind of a long story. Pretty much I've been really overwhelmed lately with everything that I need to do. And I haven't been sleeping well because of that." She nervously tugged on her pigtail. "So my mind is kind of a mess right now."

"I'm sorry Marinette" he said, pulling her in for a hug. 

She leaned into him. It was so nice to feel his embrace again. She didn't know why, but he always managed to make her feel better. 

"Thank you" she said, breaking away from the hug. "I think I needed that."

"It's no problem Princess."

Her eyes went wide again. He gave her a nickname, just like he used to. She smiled brightly at him.

Chat Noir felt his heart skip a beat. He didn't realize until that moment that he had missed seeing her smile. She was so beautiful, even when she was on the verge of tears. But that smile transcended everything else. "It's, uh... getting late. Why don't you go to bed and try to get some sleep?"

Marinette nodded at him. "I will. And thank you again. Really."

"You're welcome" he replied, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

"Have a good night" she said, walking to the hatch that leads to her room and opening it up. She gave a small wave before climbing down and closing it behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

Marinette wasn't in class when school started the following day. After the conversation with her the night before, Adrien was a little nervous seeing that she wasn't there. Hopefully everything was okay. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her tip-toe into Miss Bustier's classroom about twenty minutes after the bell rang. 

She had almost made it to her seat when Miss Bustier noticed her. "Thank you so much for joining us today Marinette" she said. "I see that this year will be a continuation of last year in regards to your punctuality."

"Sorry Miss Bustier" she mumbled, taking her seat.

The redhead next to her leaned over and whispered. "I see the old Marinette showed up to school today. I was beginning to miss her."

Marinette glared at her but then turned her attention to the front of the classroom. She was quickly distracted, however, when the boy in front of her twisted around and smiled at her.

This was unexpected. She had assumed that Adrien would be avoiding her like the plague after her confession yesterday. It was reassuring to know that he wasn't weirded out too much. She wanted them to still be friends and feel comfortable around each other. 

She gave him a small smile in return before he turned back. 

Today was going to be a good day. 

And it was a good day, right up until lunchtime, when Marinette got an alert on her phone. There was another akuma attack at City Hall, where Mayor Bourgeois was akumatized into Malediktator again. She made up some lame excuse to Alya and found an empty classroom. 

"Tikki, we need to go. Hopefully we'll be able to wrap this up quickly so I'm not late for my next class."

"Say the magic words" the kwami said. 

"Tikki, spots on!" Marinette called, transforming into Ladybug.

************************************

"No more evil-doing for you, little akuma. It's time to de-evilize!" Ladybug said, capturing the purple and black butterfly with her yo-yo. "Gotcha! Bye bye little butterfly" she said, watching it flutter away into the sky.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" she exclaimed, throwing the red and black spotted encyclopedia into the air, causing the magical ladybugs to disperse over the city. They quickly cleaned up the mess left behind from the battle with Malediktator. 

"Pound it" Ladybug and Chat Noir said in unison, bumping their fists together. 

"Great job Kitty" she said. 

"Thanks, I'm so glad that I was actually able to help out this time" Chat Noir said, putting his hand to the back of his neck. 

"Me too. Although, I do have to admit that I missed seeing you run around on all fours as a cat again" she said, smirking at him.

"You are absolutely hiss-terical today Ladybug" he replied. 

She playfully rolled her eyes at the pun and was about to say something else until she heard his ring beep.

"I guess that's my cue to go" he said, giving his signature two-finger salute and leaving with his baton. 

Ladybug watched him go and then went over to the Mayor, who was embracing his wife Audrey. "Are you alright?" she asked him as they broke apart. 

"Oh Ladybug, I can't tell you how grateful I am for your assistance today. The city of Paris can never repay you and Chat Noir for all the good works you do" Mayor Bourgeois said, shaking her hand.

"It's our pleasure. We'll be here whenever Paris needs us."

"Thank you Ladybug. Please let me know if there's anything I can ever do" the Mayor said. 

"Yes" Audrey agreed. "Whatever you two darlings need."

"That's very kind of you, Mr. and Mrs. Bourgeois" she said as her earrings started beeping. "I'm sorry, but I have to go." She turned around to leave but stopped. "Actually" she said, facing the couple again, "there is one thing that I've been looking for. And I believe that you might be the perfect people to help me find it."

************************************

Marinette arrived back to school just in time for her chemistry class, which was fortunate because the teacher Mrs. Mandeleiev wasn't as forgiving as Miss Bustier when it came to tardiness. 

She took her seat next to Alya as the lesson started. 

"So how was the 'emergency cookie frosting' that your parents needed help with?" Alya whispered to her.

"Oh, it was fine" Marinette whispered back. 

Alya tried to contain her laugher. "Girl, you don't have to lie to me. Just say that you'd rather not be around Adrien next time. He wasn't even eating with us today anyway."

"It's not that Alya, I really don't mind being around him."

"Uh huh" the redhead replied, completely unconvinced. "It's okay to admit it. No one can blame you after everything that you said to him yesterday. Which I still can't believe happened, by the way. I would have been impressed if I wasn't so shocked at the moment..."

Mrs. Mandeleiev slammed her hand down on her desk. "Miss Cesaire, Miss Dupain-Cheng, is there a reason that you two are talking during my lesson?" she demanded.

"No ma'am" the girls replied sheepishly.

Marinette glanced over and saw Adrien looking at them. Did he know that they were talking about him? 

"Make sure it doesn't happen again" the teacher bellowed before continuing her lesson.


	5. Chapter 5

Homework. On the second day of school. Unbelievable. Marinette sighed as she worked on her assignments.

Hopefully she could finish up quickly and actually get to bed at a reasonable time. Just one more subject and she'd be all done.

She was so focused that she almost didn't hear the tapping coming from the ceiling.

Tap tap tap.

Her pencil froze mid-sentence and she looked upwards. She cautiously stood and made her way up the steps to her loft.

"Marinette?" a voice called to her as she cracked open the hatch. She then pushed it wide open, revealing Chat Noir on her balcony.

"Hi" she said, giving him a confused look. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. You seemed a little upset last night."

"You're not bothering me" was all she replied.

"Oh, that's good."

She stared up at him for a moment. "I'm sorry" she squeaked, realizing that she was being rude. "Please come inside."

He happily jumped down through the hatch and landed on her bed next to her. Okay, this wasn't awkward at all.

"Follow me" Marinette said, climbing off the bed and down the steps.

"So what are you up to tonight?" Chat Noir asked her once they made it down.

"Just homework. You know, typical exciting stuff" she told him.

He smiled at her. "Very exciting."

She smiled back. "I heard about the akuma attack today. How did that go?"

"It was fine" he replied, walking around the room. "As akuma attacks go, it was pretty straightforward."

"You and Ladybug seem to work well together."

"Yeah, we do. We're really great partners." He stopped at Marinette's desk, looking at the pictures on the wall. Her collection of Adrien Agreste pictures were still hanging up.

Marinette noticed where he was looking and hurried over to him. "I, uh, meant to take those down" she admitted, a little embarrassed.

"So, are you like, super into fashion or something?" he asked, trying to lessen her embarrassment.

"Yes I am. But to be honest, I used to be in love with the guy in the pictures. That's the real reason I put them up."

Used to be. Those words hurt more than he was expecting them to. "Adrien Agreste, right? I know him."

Marinette nodded, then reached over and pulled a picture off the wall.

Ouch. "Did you fall in love with him because he's a model?"

"No" she said, taking another picture down. "I fell in love with him because he... gave me... an umbrella?" A smile crossed her lips. "Wow, it sounds really lame when I say it outloud" she said, chuckling.

Chat Noir thought back. He gave her the umbrella on his first day of school. She had been in love with him for an entire year and he had never noticed?

"That's a very strange reason to fall in love with someone" he said, watching her remove another picture.

"I mean, it wasn't really the umbrella. It was..." she paused. "That was the day I met him. There was this big misunderstanding about how chewing gum ended up on my seat. I originally thought that he had put it there, and that he was just like Chloé."

She removed another picture. "But after school he came up to me and explained what really happened. Then he gave me his umbrella because it was raining. And just for a second, I saw something in him. I don't really know how to explain it." She pulled another. "It's like, I could see who he really was. Not the façade that he puts up as the face of his father's brand. I saw the loving heart inside of him." She reached up and pulled off another picture. "Of course, it doesn't hurt that he's easy on the eyes" she said, staring at the photo in her hand.

Chat Noir had been holding his breath while she had been speaking. He couldn't think of anything to say in response to what he just heard.

Marinette grabbed another picture and smiled looking at it. "This one was always my favorite" she whispered.

He tore his eyes away from her face to see the picture. It was one of him in his regular clothes with a simple white background. He wasn't dressed up for a photoshoot or in a nice location. "Why was it your favorite?"

She continued admiring the picture. "He looks like himself in this one." After a minute she slowly put it into the pile and reached for another.

"Why don't you keep that one? You know, since it's your favorite?" he asked. Or keep all of them.

"No" she replied shaking her head. "He's my friend, I don't want him to feel uncomfortable."

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind" Chat Noir insisted.

"It's better this way" she said quietly.

"Okay" he started. "But if someone put a picture of me up on their wall, I would feel flattered. I wouldn't feel uncomfortable."

Marinette smiled. "I guess I'll have to get a picture of you and Ladybug then" she said, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

"I could even autograph it for you" he said smiling.

"I would like that." She reached up and grabbed the last picture, placing it on top of the pile. "There, now I have plenty of room for my 'Chat Noir' shrine."

He couldn't help but laugh. "I can't wait to see it Princess!"

Marinette laughed too, and bumped her shoulder into his.


	6. Chapter 6

Chat Noir stayed at Marinette's house late into the night. So much for trying to get to bed early. Not that she minded. In fact, she enjoyed getting a break from all of her responsibilities. It was really nice just to relax and hang out. 

Marinette thought about the visit the following day during classes. So did Adrien. They both had a far-off look on their faces for most of the morning. 

When it was lunchtime Alya suggested eating at the park again, to which everyone agreed. Marinette went home to get the food then met the others on the bench.

There was an awkward silence as they began eating. Everyone's thoughts went back to the last lunch they shared together and Marinette's confession.

"So... uh, anything you want to say Marinette?" Alya finally asked, smirking.

"Absolutely not" she replied, throwing a cookie at her friend. The group chuckled and the tension broke.

"Okay, I was just checking! But seriously, do you feel better now that it's all out there?"

"I do feel better. I mean, poor Adrien was probably traumatized, but I'm doing great!" the blunette announced, laughing. 

Adrien laughed too. "I'm okay, I swear. No permanent damage was done."

"Speaking of permanent damage" Marinette said, "do me a favor and don't tell Kagami about what I said. She will kill me. And I mean that literally."

"Don't worry. I won't tell her. We're not dating anymore anyway."

The three friends stopped laughing and stared at him.

"You're not dating anymore?" Alya asked. "Since when?"

"Uh, a couple of weeks ago" he admitted, scratching his forehead. 

"I'm sorry dude, that's too bad" Nino said.

"Yeah, sorry" Marinette mumbled. 

There was an awkward silence again. 

"That's right!" Marinette suddenly said, turning to Adrien. "The other day you never told me who..." she stopped, realizing that Alya and Nino were still there. "Uh... nevermind." She turned back and took a bite of her sandwich. 

Alya furrowed her eyebrows at her. "What were you about to say?"

Marinette shook her head. "Nothing. I've said too much already. I'm seriously considering taking a vow of silence." She chuckled. "Where's Luka when you need him?"

The friends started laughing again, and the awkwardness was gone.

************************************

Adrien had a photoshoot that day, so he had to leave early and miss his last class. They were shooting for his father's winter season ad campaign. He was miserable, sweating in a winter coat, hat and gloves in thirty degree weather.

Plus, he was a little disappointed that he didn't get another chance to talk with Marinette after school. Now that she wasn't nervous around him anymore, conversation came easy.

She wasn't nervous around him anymore. Because she wasn't in love with him anymore. Marinette, the beautiful sweet girl who sat behind him, had been in love with him. For almost a whole year. And he never even noticed. 

He never really paid attention to her at all. I mean, if he had, he should have figured out how she felt.

Adrien had been so obsessed with Ladybug that he didn't see what was right in front of him. Or behind him, same difference. 

And the way she had looked at her favorite picture of him yesterday. She used to look at him like that. And he didn't bother to look back at her long enough to see it.

He had loved Ladybug with all of his heart. But he knew deep down that they could never be together. I mean, they couldn't exactly go to a restaurant for dinner or out to a movie as Ladybug and Chat Noir. They couldn't even walk down the street together.

And they weren't supposed to know each other's identities. It would put both of them in danger. Any conversation between them would be superficial and vague. They wouldn't be able to share any intimate details about their lives to each other. What did he realistically expect to happen between them?

"I need a big smile Adrien!" the photographer Vincent called out to him. Adrien had to concentrate. He wanted to finish up the photoshoot so he could get out of there. The sooner they were done, the sooner...

The sooner he could go visit Marinette again. 

"Perfetto!" Vincent yelled out. "Keep that smile right there! And turn a little towards me... yes!"

After a few more minutes, they were done. 

"Great job at the end there Adrien" Vincent said, checking the photos on his camera. "Remember that smile for next time."

"I will" he said, pulling the hat and gloves off and running to the changing room. 

Once changed, his bodyguard drove him home and he ate dinner. Then he quickly ran to his room. 

He went straight for the mini fridge and held out a piece of Camembert for Plagg. 

"Don't tell me we're going to see your girlfriend again" Plagg groaned. 

"She's not my girlfriend."

"Uh huh, sure. That's why we're going to see her for the third night in a row."

"Do you want the cheese or not?" Adrien asked, getting impatient.

Plagg answered by flying over and grabbing the Camembert out of Adrien's hand, gobbling it up in one bite.


	7. Chapter 7

Chat Noir landed on Marinette's balcony and knocked on the hatch. After a minute, she opened it up and invited him inside. 

"So, I see that you're here to distract me again" she said teasingly once they were in her room. 

"It's what I do best Princess" he replied, winking at her.

"Well I thought of the perfect activity for us. Come on, sit over here with me." She gestured over to her chaise lounge. He followed her and sat down next to her.

She held up a piece of yarn. "Have you ever done Cat's Cradle?" she asked smiling. 

He looked at the yarn, which was tied up into a loop. "I have no idea what that is, but I have a feeling that I'll like it. You know cats and their affinity for yarn."

"I thought as much" she giggled. "Here, I'll show you." Marinette took the yarn, wrapped it around the palms of her hands and pulled it tight. Then she put her middle finger under the loop on the opposite hand, then did the same with the other. She pulled the string tight again by moving her hands apart.

"Okay, see how there's two x shapes?" she asked. 

"Yeah I see them" Chat Noir said. 

"You're going to pinch those two spots between your pointer finger and your thumbs. Then pull them up and around the outside string and then move them up through the middle."

"This seems complicated" he said skeptically. 

"It's really not, it's just hard to explain with words. Once you see it, you'll get it. Don't forget, you have an advantage. You know, being a cat and all."

"Now the pressure's on" he joked. He followed her instructions and moved the yarn.

"Okay, now I'm going to let go, and you tighten the yarn by moving your hands apart from each other."

He watched her remove her hands and pulled the yarn. It formed a diamond shape. "Was that supposed to happen?"

"Yes, you did it!" she exclaimed. "Now I do this." She pinched the two x shapes and did the same move. 

He removed his hands. "Hey, it's a new pattern" he said, smiling. 

"Yup. Now this move is a bit trickier but I'll walk you through it" Marinette said. 

They continued playing, with Marinette guiding him through the steps. Chat Noir's grin got wider as they kept playing. He couldn't help but glance up at Marinette every chance that he got.

The way her hair would dance around her face as she moved. The delicate way her fingers moved through the yarn. It was mesmerizing. How is it possible that he never noticed it before?

And then there were those eyes of hers. Big blue orbs that pierced into his soul every time she looked at him. They were just like Ladybug's. He couldn't help but notice how similar they were. 

They ended the game in a fit of laughter. "That was awesome Princess" Chat Noir said, wiping the tears from his eyes. 

"I thought you'd enjoy it. You can even bring the string home and play it there. I mean, you're an expert now."

"Oh, there's no point in bringing it home. There's no one who will play it with me. I'll just have to keep visiting you."

"You don't have any brothers or sisters?" Marinette asked. "Actually, don't tell me" she added quickly, putting her hands up. "I shouldn't know anything about your real life."

"I don't mind telling you."

"Well, I mind. I need you to be safe."

He stared into her eyes. "You do?"

She looked at him, confused. "Of course I do. All of Paris needs you to be safe. What would we do if anything happens to you?"

He shrugged. "You'd still have Ladybug. If I'm being honest, she does most of the work anyway."

"Are you crazy?" Marinette demanded, leaning towards him. "She would never be able to do half of what she does if you weren't there. I mean, how many times did you sacrifice yourself for her?" she asked, pointing her finger into his chest. "She would have been defeated a long time ago without you."

Chat Noir blinked at her. He couldn't believe how worked up she was getting. About him.

"Don't you ever think that you're not as important as Ladybug" Marinette finished, glaring at him. 

"I, er... okay" he muttered out.

After a second her face softened, and she lowered her hand back down. "I'm sorry, it just drives me crazy when I see people not appreciating all your hard work" she said quietly. 

"No, it's okay. That really means a lot to me, to hear you say that." He reached up and put his hand on her shoulder. "Thank you."

"You're welcome" she responded, smiling at him. "Do you have to leave soon or can you stay for a while?" 

"I can stay" he said.

"Yay" she said, clapping her hands. "So... do you like playing video games?"


	8. Chapter 8

After three rounds of Ultimate Mecha Strike III (of which Marinette won every single one), she suggested another video game.

"You try to copy the dance steps on the screen and it tracks your movements" she explained. "That way you learn to dance to the song. My friend Alya let me borrow it and it's really fun, but it's better when you have a partner."

"That's awesome. I'd love to try it" Chat Noir said. Luckily he had played the game at Alya's house before, so he wouldn't be completely horrible.

"Alright" Marinette said, setting up the game console. "Well start at the beginner's level and see how it goes."

Once the game was set up, she moved the chairs away from her desk so they had space to move around. "Stand here next to me and watch the screen" she told him. 

The music started playing and two shadow figures appeared on the screen. The figures started moving slowly to the song. 

Marinette and Chat Noir lifted their arms and moved their legs, copying the choreography. The beat was slow, so they had no problem keeping up.

"See, you're getting it" Marinette said, looking over at him. 

"Us cats are very graceful animals" he replied, earning a laugh from the blunette. 

They stayed up late playing the game. Both Marinette and Chat Noir were exhausted by the time they decided to call it quits, but it had been worth it. Chat Noir couldn't remember a time when he had so much fun.

He went back to her house the following evening. They played the dancing game again, taking a break every so often to munch on some macarons.

The next evening he went back again, but had to leave early when he got an akuma alert.

So he went back the next evening, and the next, and the next, and the next...

Chat Noir continued visiting Marinette everyday. They would usually play the dancing game. And they were getting really good at it. They quickly mastered the beginner's levels and moved up to the more advanced ones.

It wasn't all video games though. Sometimes Chat Noir would help Marinette study for an exam or finish her homework. Sometimes she would draw sketches in her design notebook, using Chat Noir as her new muse. On some clear nights they would hang out on her balcony and watch the world go by.

Adrien couldn't stop visiting her. Every night he needed his 'Marinette' fix. Hanging out at school wasn't enough, he needed one-on-one time.

As the weeks went by, he felt that the more time he spent with her, the more time he wanted. Anything that kept him away from his Marinette made him crabby. He sulked every time he had an event or a photoshoot to go to, or when Marinette was going out with her friends or had to help her parents. 

Plagg teased him relentlessly, calling Marinette his 'girlfriend' and picking out names for their future children. Adrien ignored the teasing. He and Marinette were just friends. Really good friends. Super mega best friends. Why was it so difficult for Plagg to understand that?

************************************

One Sunday afternoon Adrien found himself at the Trocadéro Gardens with Marinette, Alya and Nino. It was a rare moment when his father had actually given him permission to hang out with his friends outside of school. He was enjoying every second of it. Especially the part when he got to sit next to his favorite blunette. 

It was a perfect day. That is, until he got an alert on his phone. He groaned, frustrated that he would miss out on time with Marinette. But work had to come first. 

Adrien lied and told the group that his father requested him to come home early. At least his overprotective father was good for one thing; he always had a valid excuse to leave for an akuma attack. 

He hurried to a secluded area and transformed. Chat Noir quickly headed towards City Hall, where he found the akumatized villain outside in the courtyard. 

She was a tall, thin woman wearing a striped business suit with exaggerated pointed shoulders. In front of her were living office supplies, greatly oversized and moving around. There were huge paper clips, markers, and pushpins that were chasing away anyone that got close to her.

Furiously writing on an oversized clipboard, she muttered to herself. Suddenly a huge stapler appeared and started shooting staples out at the security guards.

Chat Noir landed in front of the villain. "What's the matter?" he asked, smirking at her. "Your printer run out of ink?"

The villain responded by scribbling on her clipboard again. An enormous pair of scissors appeared and moved towards the superhero, trying to slice him.

Chat Noir yelped and jumped out of the way. A moment later Ladybug landed next to him. "Applying for a new job?" she asked, cheekily. 

"I think it's obvious that I'm not cut out for office work" he replied, smiling at her. "Plus, I like the job I have now."

Ladybug smiled back as they advanced towards the villain. 

************************************

"Pound it" they said, fist bumping.

Immediately after the battle was over, Chat Noir's ring started beeping. "A pleasure, as always" he said, bowing to Ladybug. 

She gave a bow back. "Good day sir" she replied.

He smirked and took off with his baton.

She was about to take off herself when Mayor Bourgeois came up to her.

"Ladybug! Thank you so much for saving my office manager Miss Durand" he said. His face fell slightly. "I suppose that I shouldn't have been so harsh with her when she ordered the wrong type of post-it notes."

"It's okay Mr. Bourgeois. We all make mistakes sometimes."

"Indeed" he responded. "I also wanted to let you know that I was able to track down the item you requested. It's up in my office if you have a moment."

Ladybug's eyes went wide and she put her yo-yo back on her hip.

"Yes of course. Thank you so much" she exclaimed, following him inside the building.


	9. Chapter 9

Right after dinner Adrien transformed and went to Marinette's house. Like most nights, they played the dancing video game. They had finally made it to the advanced levels.

Slightly out of breath, the two made their final pose and paused. They quickly looked up as their score was tabulated. 

"Come on, come on" they both muttered, their eyes glued to the screen. 

Finally their score popped up. 

97%

"What?" Chat Noir exclaimed incredulously. "We were perfect that time. This game is rigged!"

Marinette chuckled. "Calm down. I'm sure we'll get it one of these days" she said, grabbing a drink from her desk. 

Chat Noir frowned and walked over to grab a drink too. He was about to gulp it down, but got distracted by the girl in front of him. She looked even more beautiful than usual. Her eyes were sparkling and her cheeks were flushed from the game.

Not wanting to stare, his gaze made its way to a slim rectangular box on her desk. It was wrapped up in green wrapping paper. "What's this?" he asked, putting his drink down and picking the box up.

"Oh, just a gift for one of my friends at school" she replied. 

Chat Noir furrowed his brow. "Someone's birthday?"

"No, it's just something I started looking for a long time ago, and I finally found it. It's not for any special occasion or anything. Just a gift for a good friend" she said, smiling. 

He found himself holding his breath again. How was it possible that her heart was so full of love? He placed the gift back on the desk and turned towards her. "You're amazing Marinette" he said softly. 

She looked up at him, surprised. "What?" she asked. 

"You're amazing. The way you care so much about everyone around you. I don't think I've ever met anyone like you before." He paused for a moment. "You amaze me. Every second of every day."

"Really?" she asked, barely at a whisper. 

Chat Noir nodded and glanced down at her lips before quickly looking back into her eyes. He suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to kiss her. She was unimaginably beautiful. And then on top of that she was smart, and funny, and kind-hearted.

Without thinking he slowly leaned in towards her. Marinette tilted her head upwards as he moved closer and closer. Chat Noir closed his eyes when he was an inch away from her, and she closed hers too.

Just as their lips were about to touch, Marinette's phone rang. Their eyes flew open at the noise. Seeing how close they were, they quickly jumped apart. They both stumbled over their words, trying to think of something to say. 

"I, er..." Chat Noir mumbled. 

"I, uh... I should probably... uh, get that" Marinette stammered.

Chat Noir nodded as she walked over to her phone and answered it.

"Hello?" she asked. "Oh, ah... hey. What's up?... Uh yeah, I do... Yeah, yeah that's fine... I'll, uh, bring it tomorrow... Okay... Yeah, Tuesday sounds good... Alright... Okay, bye." She disconnected the call and put the phone in her back pocket. 

There was an awkward silence. 

"Uh, that was my friend Alya" Marinette said, not making eye contact with Chat Noir. 

"Yeah, I know Alya" he replied, also avoiding eye contact. 

Another silence.

"Well, it's getting late. I should probably go" he said. 

"Right, of course" she agreed quickly, running her fingers through the strands of her pigtail. 

"Right... uh, bye" he said, going up the steps to the loft and climbing out through the hatch. 

Once he was gone Marinette let out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding.

Tikki appeared and flew up to her face. 

"I don't want to talk about it" Marinette mumbled, walking back over to her desk. She grabbed the gift and put it in her school bag. Then she disconnected the video game console from her computer and added it to the bag as well. 

************************************

Chat Noir detransformed as soon as he landed in his room. Plagg flew up in front of his face, smirking. 

"I don't want to talk about it" Adrien mumbled, going over to his computer desk. 

He ignored the smug "I told you so" from the black kwami as he walked away. 

What had just happened? Why did he try to kiss Marinette? It was like he wasn't in control of his body anymore. He didn't think, he only acted.

Why would he do that, they were friends. Friends didn't kiss, at least not the way he had wanted to kiss her in that moment. 

He stared at the black computer screen, thinking. Suddenly his heart skipped a beat as he realized something.

He wanted to kiss her because he was in love with her.

Completely in love. 

Somehow, over the last couple of weeks, he had fallen in love with Marinette.

Was it when she confessed her crush to him? When she told him the umbrella story? When she taught him how to play Cat's Cradle? When they danced together? When she talked to him about the gift for her friend?

Or had it happened before all of that? Had he been slowly falling in love with her ever since they met? He didn't know. And he couldn't pinpoint one specific moment that it had happened. 

What a fool he had been. All that time he wasted chasing after Ladybug. Not that there was anything wrong with Ladybug, but it was so unrealistic to think that they could really be together. And he was so preoccupied with her that he didn't even give anyone else a chance. Not even the wonderful girl who sat behind him.

At least now he could see everything clearly. He and Marinette belonged together. Now all he needed was for her to fall in love with him again.


	10. Chapter 10

Adrien woke up Monday morning. It was day one of Operation: Make Marinette Fall in Love with Me Again, or MMFILWMA. The name needed work. 

On the car ride to school, he tried to think. What could he do to make her love him? Give her a flower? Nah, that never worked with Ladybug.

He supposed that he could ask her out and hope for the best. But she would probably think that he was messing with her and not take him seriously. 

What worked the first time? The umbrella, of course. But it would be pretty weird if he gave her another one. Plus, it would have to be raining at the right time. 

His thoughts were interrupted by an alert on his phone. Another akuma attack. Now he would be late to school and not get a chance to talk to Marinette before class started. Ugh, why wasn't the universe cooperating with his plan? 

A minute later his bodyguard pulled up to the curb of the school building. Adrien jumped out and ran inside. But instead of heading towards his friends, he quickly found an empty classroom and transformed. 

************************************

"Pound it!"

Okay, that wasn't too bad. It only took about twenty minutes to defeat the akumatized villain, who was really a ten year old kid. Maybe he could even be back in time to catch the end of his first class. 

"Hey Chat" Ladybug said, putting her hand up to her earring. "Would you mind taking this kid back home? I'm almost out of time."

Maybe he wouldn't catch his first class after all. 

"Of course, Ladybug" he replied. Oh well, he was already late. A couple of extra minutes wouldn't matter.

"Thanks" she said, taking off with her yo-yo. 

Chat Noir brought the kid back home and then hurried back to the school. He landed on the window ledge of the locker room and jumped down to the floor. 

"Claws in" he said, transforming back into Adrien. His hand automatically went up, catching Plagg in mid air. With his other hand he pulled the container of Camembert out of his shirt pocket and popped it open. 

The kwami quickly ate a piece and then flew up to Adrien's head.

"Come on Plagg, we're already late. We need to get to class."

He was about to walk towards the door when he heard a small noise from behind him. Slowly turning around, his eyes landed on Marinette, who was pressed up against the wall next to the window. One of her hands was clamped over her mouth, the other one was clutching a slim rectangular box to her chest. She was as white as a ghost and tears filled her eyes. 

Adrien stopped breathing. He didn't move an inch. He watched as Marinette's eyes moved from him to Plagg. She shook her head slightly. 

A minute, that felt like an hour, passed by.

"Um... meow?" Plagg finally said. 

Marinette's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fell sideways, crashing to the floor. Adrien tried to reach out to catch her but he wasn't close enough. He immediately ran to her and kneeled down, leaning over her. 

"Marinette?" he asked weakly. He wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her up a little. With his other hand her brushed the bangs out of her eyes. "Marinette?" he asked again. She wasn't responding, her eyes were closed and her body was limp.

"Oh no" Plagg said, floating next to Adrien. "Ladybug is going to blame me for this."

But Adrien wasn't paying attention to his kwami. "I'm sorry Marinette" he whispered, tears stinging his eyes. "Please wake up." She had hit her head when she fell. Hopefully she didn't have a concussion, or something worse. 

A few seconds later he felt Marinette stir slightly. 

"Plagg, hide!" Adrien whispered. 

"What do you mean? The cat's already out of the bag!" he argued back.

"Just hide!" Adrien hissed at him.

He groaned and disappeared into Adrien's shirt. 

Marinette stirred again, her eyes still closed. She slowly reached her hand up to the side of her head, flinching from pain when she made contact. After a moment her eyes fluttered open and she tried to sit up, but fell back into Adrien's arm.

She blinked a few times, trying to regain her focus. Once her vision cleared, she froze at seeing the face in front of her. The tears welled up again as the memories came flooding back.

Neither of them spoke for a moment. Finally, Marinette tilted her head. "Adrien?" she said weakly, a single tear falling down her cheek. 

"I'm so sorry Marinette" he choked out.

She continued looking at him but jumped at hearing the locker room door.

Alya walked in but stopped at seeing the scene in front of her. "Oh my gosh, Marinette. What happened?" she asked frantically, running up to them and kneeling down. 

"Uh, uh..." Adrien sputtered, trying to come up with a convincing lie.

Marinette interrupted him. "I, uh... tripped and fell" she said, another tear falling. 

"Oh Marinette" Alya lamented. "Are you hurt?"

"She hit her head pretty hard" Adrien said, keeping his eyes on Marinette. 

"Come on, we need to get you to the nurse's office" Alya said, wrapping her arm around her side.

The two helped Marinette get to her feet.

"Are you okay to walk?" Alya asked. 

"I can carry you" Adrien offered.

She looked up at him. "I can walk" she whispered. 

He nodded and grabbed her hand, guiding her out of the locker room. 

He and Alya led her to the nurse's office, where he explained that she fell and hit her head. The nurse brought her into the back room to examine her.

"You should get to class. I'll hang out here for a while and make sure she's okay" the redhead told Adrien when they were alone. 

"I'll wait for her" he replied. 

"No, you go. As her best friend, I want to be here for her. Seriously, it's not a problem."

He reluctantly agreed and went to class. When he sat down Nino leaned over and whispered to him. "Where have you been, dude?"

"Early morning photoshoot" Adrien mumbled back.

Nino nodded and turned his attention back to the lesson.


	11. Chapter 11

Adrien stared at the door during class. He was waiting for Marinette to come back from the nurse's office. His heart soared a little when he saw Alya open the door and walk in. It sank again, however, when he realized that Marinette wasn't with her.

"Where's Marinette?" Adrien whispered over to her when she sat down. 

"The nurse wanted her to rest for a while" she whispered back. 

Adrien sighed and continued staring at the door.

Marinette didn't show up for their class. And she didn't show up for the next one either.

During lunch hour Adrien went back to the nurse's office. 

"Is there any chance that I can see Marinette?" he asked the nurse.

"I'm afraid she's still resting. She hit her head pretty hard when she fell so she needs to lie down for a while."

"Oh okay" he said, disappointed. "Could you at least tell her that I came by?"

"Of course, sweetie" the nurse replied. 

Adrien then met up with Alya and Nino for lunch, but he wasn't hungry enough to eat anything.

All day long he waited for her to rejoin their class, but she never did. 

The final bell rang and the three friends went to the locker room to put their books away.

"So I'm having a little get-together at my house tomorrow night if you want to come over. I'm pretty much inviting everyone from class" Alya told Adrien when they were at their lockers.

"Okay, I'll have to ask my father" Adrien replied, unenthusiastically.

"Is everything okay, dude?" Nino asked. "You've been acting strange all day."

"I just feel horrible about Marinette."

"It's okay Adrien" Alya said to him, noticing how upset he was. "I'm sure she's going to be fine."

"Yeah, Marinette's a tough girl" Nino added. "I can't tell you guys how many times she's fallen since I've known her. She has to be used to it by now."

Alya chuckled. "Poor girl. I just don't understand what she tripped over." She looked around them. "I mean, there's nothing even here."

"She probably tripped over her own foot" Nino joked. 

"Wait a second" Alya said, bending over and picking something up off the floor by the window. "Maybe she slipped on this."

It was a slim rectangular box with green wrapping. 

Adrien's eyes went wide at seeing it. "That... that's what Marinette was holding before she fell" he said.

Alya stared at it. "Well it looks like it's for you" she said, holding the box out to Adrien. 

He slowly reached over and took the gift from her hand. There was a note attached to it. A note that hadn't been there the night before when he first saw the gift. 

Dear Adrien, 

I thought you might still be looking for this. I hope you enjoy. 

Love, your friend Marinette 

P.S. I finally remembered to sign something. You should be very proud ;)

After reading the note, Adrien quickly unwrapped the gift. He gasped when he saw what it was.

His mother's face stared up at him from the cover of the DVD. The title 'Solitude' was written across the bottom. 

Adrien couldn't breathe. Marinette had found his mother's movie. The movie he had been searching for, but was never able to find. The only time he had seen it was when he watched it in his room with his father. But after that his father took it back and he hadn't seen it since. 

Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked at it. "It's my mom's movie" he explained quietly. 

Alya nodded slightly and glanced over at Nino. 

Suddenly Adrien looked up at them. "I have to go see her" he said, putting the gift in his school bag. He hurried out of the locker room, leaving a confused Alya and Nino behind. 

He ran straight to the nurse's office. "Is Marinette still here? I need to see her" he said, panting. 

"Oh I'm sorry, but Marinette left a few minutes ago. I told her to go home and rest."

"Thank you" he yelled over his shoulder, running out of the office. 

He went to the courtyard and looked around, but she wasn't there. Then he rushed outside and looked up the sidewalk towards her house. 

She was already about half way home.

Adrien sprinted down the sidewalk. "Marinette!" he called out. 

At hearing her name and recognizing the voice that said it, Marinette stopped. She turned around once Adrien caught up with her. They were about two meters apart from one another. 

Adrien took a moment to catch his breath, and then he spoke. "Th... thank you for my mom's movie" he sputtered out. 

Marinette stared at him. "You're welcome" she said quietly. 

"I've been searching for it forever. Where did you find it?" he asked. 

"I, uh... I... I know someone... who knows someone... and that's how I found it" she said, averting his gaze.

They were silent for a minute.

Marinette looked back up at him but he didn't say anything. She started to turn around to head home.

"I'm sorry Marinette" he said suddenly, making the blunette stop and turn back towards him. "I'm so sorry" he pleaded. 

She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by a car horn honking. Adrien's bodyguard was getting impatient. She closed her mouth and looked at the ground. 

"I, uh... I guess I have to go" he said. 

Marinette nodded and turned away, continuing her walk home.

Adrien watched her go the entire way until she disappeared into the bakery. Then he turned around and went to the waiting car, climbing inside.


	12. Chapter 12

Monday afternoons meant Chinese lessons. After the day he had, Adrien was less attentive than he usually was. He couldn't think about sentence structures, he could only think about Marinette. 

What did she think of him now? Did she absolutely hate him for lying? How was she supposed to fall in love with him after what happened?

When the lesson was finished he went to dinner. He took a couple of bites, but once again he wasn't hungry. His brain was tormenting him too much.

Back in his room, he went straight to his bed and plopped down. 

"Are you going to visit Marinette tonight?" Plagg asked gently. 

Adrien sighed and looked over at him. "I don't think she wants to see me right now."

"Oh come on, Adrien. Cheer up! Everyone has secrets. I'm sure Marinette will understand" the kwami said. 

"I feel horrible. This is not the way I had planned on telling her who I am."

Plagg narrowed his eyes at Adrien. "You were going to tell her?"

"I mean, not right now. But yeah, eventually" he admitted. 

"Well you're not planning on telling anyone else, are you?" he demanded. 

"No, of course not" Adrien said. "Just Marinette."

"And why just her?" Plagg asked, a smirk overtaking his face.

Adrien turned his head away. "Are you seriously going to make me say it outloud?"

"Uh huh" the kwami replied, flipping upside-down. 

The blond groaned. "Because I'm in love with her" he mumbled. 

"I'm sorry, what was that? I didn't quite catch it."

"BECAUSE I'M IN LOVE WITH HER!"

"Okay, okay. No need to yell, I'm right here" Plagg teased before flying off to find a snack. 

************************************

Adrien's heart was racing as he walked into school the next morning. He found Alya and Nino in the courtyard like usual, but Marinette wasn't there.

"Hey guys" he said, walking up to them. "Have you seen Marinette?"

"Uh, yeah. She went to talk to Miss Bustier about missing class yesterday" Alya said.

"Oh good. I'm going to go check on her and see if she's feeling okay" Adrien said, starting to walk towards the stairs. 

"We'll come with you" Nino said, following him.

Adrien cursed internally. He really wanted to speak to Marinette in private. 

He felt better when his eyes landed on the beautiful girl talking to the teacher. 

She had her back towards him but turned around once she heard the three friends enter the room. Her eyes immediately went to him, pausing for a moment before she turned back.

Adrien sat down as they continued talking. Miss Bustier handed her some papers, which she put in her backpack. Then she made her way to her seat, keeping her eyes down to avoid looking at him. 

He turned around to face her when she was in her spot. "Hey Marinette" he said quietly. 

"Hey" she replied weakly, not making eye contact. 

"How's your head feeling?" he asked.

"Um, much better." She still didn't look up.

He didn't know what else to say so he turned back around. This wasn't going well. 

As the day went on Marinette barely looked at him, let alone talked to him. And during lunch she went around to all the teachers, collecting all the school work that she had missed. Adrien desperately wanted to talk to her, but he wasn't having any luck.

When school was over the four went to the locker room together. 

"Now let's review, Marinette. One foot in front of the other. There you go!" Alya teased as they walked to their lockers. 

"You are absolutely hysterical today Alya" she replied, not laughing. 

"Sorry, I couldn't resist!" Alya said, chuckling. "Anyway, the party starts at five tonight so don't be late."

"What?" Marinette asked, confused.

"The party I'm having. I told you about it when I called you Sunday night. Don't you remember?"

Marinette's face suddenly turned bright red. The call Sunday night. The call that interrupted...

"Yes I remember" she said, a little bit too loud. She didn't dare look over at Adrien, who was close by, overhearing the entire conversation. 

"Okay, well it starts at five" Alya repeated. 

"Oh, ah... actually I won't be able to go" Marinette mumbled. 

"What do you mean, you can't go?" the redhead demanded. "You told me you could!"

"Yeah, but uh... now I have all this schoolwork to catch up on! Yeah, and it's going to take me all night. I, uh... I'm sorry."

"You're unbelievable, girl. Blowing me off for homework? You must have hit your head harder than I thought." She turned towards Adrien. "You're coming tonight though, right Adrien?"

"I'm sorry Alya, but I won't be able to go either. My father said no" he told her. 

Alya groaned as they all closed their locker doors.

"I'll still be there, babe" Nino said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. 

That didn't seem to cheer her up. She crossed her arms as they made their way outside, with Marinette and Adrien following behind the couple. Neither of them looked at the other as they walked side by side. 

Once outside Marinette gave a quick wave and hurried off to her house. Adrien watched her go again before getting in his towncar. 

************************************

Marinette went home and started on her work. Surprisingly it wasn't as much as she was expecting, so she was done within an hour and a half. She sat back in her desk chair and stretched when she was done. 

"Well, that wasn't too bad" she said to Tikki.

"Since you're done early, why don't you go to Alya's?" the kwami suggested. 

"I don't think so" Marinette replied, putting the papers in her school bag. 

"But you heard Adrien. He won't even be there tonight."

Marinette closed her eyes. "Yeah I know."

"Come on, you deserve a fun night out with your friends" Tikki insisted. 

The blunette smiled and opened her eyes. "What did I do to deserve you, Tikki? You always have my best interest at heart."

The red and black kwami flew over to Marinette and hugged her cheek.


	13. Chapter 13

Marinette was a little late arriving to Alya's house, but what else was new?

Alya almost screamed when she opened the door and saw her. "I'm so glad you made it!" she said, hugging her best friend. "I knew you wouldn't bail on me."

"Yeah, I got all my work done early so I figured I should stop by."

"Come on in" Alya said, leading her into the kitchen. "The snacks and drinks are here, and everyone's in the living room."

"Awesome, I'm going to grab a drink" Marinette said. 

"Come join us when you're ready" Alya said, going to the other room. 

Marinette checked out the drink options. Water, grape soda, lemonade...

"Hey Marinette" a voice said behind her. She jumped and spun around, coming face to face with Adrien. 

Her mouth fell open at seeing him there.

"Uh... uh... Adrien" she sputtered out. "Wh... what are you doing here?"

"Well Alya invited me" he said, putting his arm to the back of his neck. 

"But you said that you couldn't make it."

"Oh yeah, I know. I just said that because I thought you wouldn't show up if you knew that I would be here."

Marinette blinked at him. "Uh... that's... not true."

Adrien paused. "Marinette, you've been avoiding me all day" he said slowly. 

She stared at him for a second before looking down. "I, uh..." She paused. "You're right. I'm sorry. But come on, you have to admit that this is weird."

"Yeah I know" he admitted sheepishly. 

"I'm sorry" they both said simultaneously. 

Marinette looked back up at him. "No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I freaked out yesterday. I just..." She looked down again. "I just didn't know how to react. I'm not angry with you, or anything like that. I was just... surprised? I don't know." 

"I'm really sorry Marinette" Adrien said. "About everything."

"It's okay" she said quietly. 

"So, uh... we're still... friends?" he asked cautiously. 

Marinette met his gaze again. "Of course."

Adrien broke out into a big smile. "Awesome."

She gave him a small smile and nodded. "I'm going to grab a drink and go join the group."

"I'll come with you."

Marinette picked up a lemonade and walked to the living room, with Adrien following. She stopped, however, when she saw what was on the TV screen. 

Everyone was taking turns playing the dancing game. 

"You have got to be kidding me" Marinette said to no one in particular. 

Alya waved her over. "Marinette, over here! You can play next."

"No no no no no" Marinette kept repeating as she and Adrien went over to Alya. "I am not playing this game."

"Oh come on, no one cares if you're not good at it. It's just for fun" Alya said. 

"I'll play with you Marinette" Adrien said, smiling at her. 

She looked at him with murder in her eyes. "I don't think that's a good idea" she said through clenched teeth.

"It's okay Marinette" their classmate Kim interrupted, smirking at her. "I would be afraid to follow the performance that me and Alix just gave too. I don't want you to be embarrassed."

"Is that so?" Marinette asked. "And exactly what score did you guys get?"

"We got 95%" he boasted.

"95%? Wow, that's very impressive" she replied dramatically. 

"Yeah, we're pretty much unbeatable" he continued. 

"Hmm, you know what? Maybe I will try it. I mean, it's just for fun, right?"

"That's right. The important thing is that you have fun" Kim said.

Marinette smiled sweetly at him and turned towards Adrien. "Shall we?"

Adrien could barely contain his laughter as he nodded.

They made their way to the TV and Marinette used the controller to select the song.

"Uh, Marinette. You're on the advanced level. Why don't you pick an easier one?" Alya suggested. 

"I figured that we could use a challenge" the blunette replied, putting the controller down and getting into position next to Adrien. 

"You ready, Princess?" he whispered over to her. 

Marinette responded by glancing at him with a smirk.

The song started and they sprung into action, moving in sync with the choreography. It wasn't long before the crowd of friends around them stopped chatting to watch. They were amazed at how good the pair was doing. Eyes grew wide and mouths fell open as they continued dancing. 

As the song ended Adrien and Marinette struck their final pose. The room was completely silent as they looked up at the screen. 

"Come on, come on" they muttered. 

Their score popped up.

100%

Both Adrien and Marinette screamed, turning towards each other. Adrien reached out while she jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his torso and putting her hands around the back of his neck. He held her up, putting his arms around her waist. She tilted her head down to press her forehead against his. They both had the biggest smiles on their faces as they looked at each other. 

After a perfect moment, Marinette's face suddenly dropped, remembering where they were. Adrien's face dropped too, and they both slowly turned to look at the people staring at them. 

Everyone's mouth was hanging open. Kim looked like he was going to have an aneurysm. 

Adrien lowered Marinette down to the floor and they stepped apart from each other. 

"Uh, great job Adrien" Marinette said, extending her hand out to him.

"Great job Marinette" he replied, shaking her hand. 

After the hand shake they both spun around and walked off in different directions. As Marinette made her way past Kim, she innocently remarked "That really was fun."

************************************

Everyone had a blast at Alya's party. Especially Adrien, who took every opportunity to be as close to Marinette as he could. Oh how he missed their one-on-one time together. It had only been two days, but it felt like an eternity. 

When he saw that Marinette was leaving, he accompanied her outside. "We can give you a ride home if you want" he told her, gesturing towards the waiting towncar.

"Oh, you don't have to do that" she said. "I don't mind walking."

"No really, I insist" he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. 

She paused for a moment and then shrugged. "Okay."

Adrien smiled and opened the car door, letting her climb in first. He followed her inside. "To Marinette's, please" he said to his bodyguard, who grunted in return.

For the first minute of the car ride, no one said anything. Marinette stared out of the window as they drove. 

Adrien finally cleared his throat. "I uh, still can't believe we got 100%."

Marinette turned to him. "I know, right?" she said, excitedly. "The look on Kim's face was priceless!"

"Yeah, we really shut him up." Adrien chuckled. "But I'm a little disappointed though."

"What? Why?" she asked. 

"Because we've completed the game. It won't be as much fun now that we already know everything."

"Huh, you're right" Marinette said. "I hadn't thought of that. I guess we'll just have to find another game then."

Adrien's heart skipped a beat. She wanted to find another game to play with him. That had to be a good sign, right?

"Yeah, I guess we will" he said, trying not to sound too excited. 

The car pulled up to Marinette's house. "Thanks for the ride Adrien. I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked.

His heart sank a little. Tomorrow? But what about tonight? Didn't she want him to visit her?

"Uh yeah. I'll see you then."

She smiled and opened the door. "Thank you" she called to Adrien's bodyguard, before climbing out. 

Adrien watched her walk around the car and wave back at him as she went inside.


	14. Chapter 14

With her homework already out of the way, and no Chat Noir coming to visit, Marinette didn't know what to do with her free time. And to think that just a few weeks ago she was so overwhelmed with all of her responsibilities. Her anxiety and stress had all but disappeared. 

She wandered aimlessly around her room for a while before finally deciding to go to bed. Once changed into her pajamas, she flipped the lights off and climbed up to the loft.

She closed her eyes as her head hit the pillow. 

Tap tap tap. 

Marinette smiled and opened her eyes. She kneeled up on her bed and lifted the hatch.

"Can I help you?" she asked, climbing out and smirking at the black cat on her balcony.

"Hello Princess, long time no see" he smirked back. "I was wondering if you would want to come over and watch my mom's movie with me. We never got to watch the whole thing last time."

"Yeah, I remember. And I'd love to see your mom's movie. Are you sure that it's okay for me to come over?" she asked.

"Of course!"

She smiled. "Alright. Just let me get dressed."

"I think what you're wearing is perfect. If I recall correctly, you were wear your pajamas the last time too."

Marinette jabbed him on the shoulder as she blushed.

"Oh come on" he continued. "I'll put my pajamas on too. We'll have a slumber party!"

She couldn't help but smile. "Fine" she said. 

He scooped her up, holding her bridal style. "Don't be afraid."

"I'm not afraid" she whispered, looking up at him and wrapping her arms around his neck. 

It took everything in his power not to lean in a kiss her right then and there. "Okay, let's go" he whispered back. 

Marinette tightened her grip as they jumped across the rooftops. Within minutes they landed in Adrien's room.

Reluctantly, Chat Noir let Marinette down to her feet. He had loved feeling her pressed up against him.

She took a few steps into the room, looking around. He watched her as she moved. 

"So, are you going to detransform, or what?" she finally asked him. 

"Yeah, I will" he said, putting his hand to the back of his head. "I just don't want you to freak out again when you see Plagg. He's the black cat kwami that gives me my powers. He, uh... meowed at you yesterday."

"How could I forget" she murmured. "It's okay, I promise I won't faint again."

Chat Noir nodded. "Claws in." A green light surrounded him as his transformation wore off, revealing Adrien and Plagg. 

"Hi Marinette" the kwami said. 

"Hi Plagg" she replied, putting her hand out.

He quickly flew over and landed in her outstretched hand. She smiled and pulled him close to her face. "You have got to be the cutest thing I have ever seen."

Plagg flew up and around her head a couple of times, earning a laugh from the blunette, before hugging her cheek. Marinette pulled him away to look at him again. "You must be hungry."

Plagg looked back at Adrien. "I knew I always liked her."

"Let's get you something to eat" Marinette continued. "Adrien, do you have any food here?"

"Yeah, there's a mini fridge over there" he said, pointing. 

"Alright, I'll grab Plagg a snack while you get changed." She pulled the kwami close again, pressing her nose against his.

Adrien's face fell. Why was Plagg getting all the attention? He went into his closet and changed into his pajamas.

When he came back, Marinette was already sitting on the couch. She was holding Plagg, scratching him around his tiny ears. Plagg leaned into her touch, obviously loving every moment. 

Adrien frowned and went over to the TV to set up the movie. He kept glancing over at them. He couldn't believe it, he was jealous of Plagg. 

Coming up with an idea, Adrien smiled. "I thought you were going to have a snack, Plagg."

"I already did. Marinette was kind enough to get me some Camembert."

"Actually, I meant the Gruyère I got for you. I was saving it for a special occasion, but you deserve it, buddy. I hid it in the top pantry in the kitchen..."

Even before he finished speaking, Plagg zoomed out of the room. 

Marinette blinked. "I guess he likes cheese" she commented as Adrien sat down next to her. 

"You have no idea" he chuckled, using the remote to start the movie.

Marinette leaned back into the couch, making herself comfortable. Adrien slid towards her a little and leaned back too. He glanced over at her as the movie title came up. A big smile crossed her lips as she saw Emilie on the screen. "Wow, she's so beautiful" she whispered. 

Adrien moved even closer to her. She either didn't notice or didn't care, keeping her eyes on the TV.

As the movie played, Adrien alternated between watching the screen and watching Marinette's reactions. She really seemed to be enjoying the movie. And Adrien was really enjoying being with her. Every chance he got, he shifted closer. By the end of the movie, they were right next to each other. Marinette had even rested her head on his shoulder, which delighted him more than he could ever express. 

When the credits started rolling, Marinette sat up and turned towards him. "That was so wonderful, Adrien. Your mom was amazing."

"Thanks Marinette" he replied, leaning towards her. "I still can't believe that you found the movie for me. Where did you get it?"

"I... I already told you" she said, suddenly standing up and taking a few steps away.

Adrien's face dropped. He hadn't wanted her to get up.

"It's getting late" she continued. "Would you mind taking me back home?"

"Of course not" he said, standing up and walking over to her. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Thank you for watching the movie with me. I had a great time."

"Me too" she said looking up at him. 

Adrien reached his hand up to her face and rubbed his thumb across her cheek.

They stayed looking at each other for a minute before Plagg popped up between them, causing them to jump. 

"Are you leaving Marinette?" the kwami asked. 

"Yeah, I'm sorry Plagg. But I promise to come visit again. If that's okay with Adrien, of course" she told him.

"Oh trust me, it's definitely okay with him" Plagg replied, smirking.

"Plagg!" Adrien yelled, while Marinette laughed.

"I'll see you next time" Marinette said. "Do me a favor and take of Adrien, okay?"

"I will" Plagg said, flying over and hugging her cheek again. 

Adrien gave them a minute before saying "Plagg, claws out!" and transforming.

"Ready to go, Princess?" Chat Noir asked. 

She nodded as he picked her up.

They made their way back to Marinette's house, landing on the balcony. Chat Noir slowly placed her down. 

"Thanks" Marinette whispered once she was back on her feet.

"You're welcome" he replied softly.

There was another moment where they just looked at one another.

"Are you... planning on coming by tomorrow?" she asked. 

He nodded.

"Okay" she said. "But I don't have the game anymore. I gave it back to Alya."

"You know that's not why I come by every night" he said, moving right up to her and putting his hand to her face again. 

Marinette didn't reply. She just kept staring up at him.

Chat Noir looked into her eyes. The eyes that reminded him of Ladybug's.

He wasn't going to let anything stop him this time. Pulling Marinette towards him, he leaned in and kissed her.


	15. Chapter 15

Chat Noir leaned in and pressed his lips into Marinette's. She immediately melted into the kiss, putting her hands to his hair. He kept one hand on her face and wrapped his other hand around her waist, pulling her closer.

After a few seconds they separated, both breathing heavily. They stayed together, looking at each other for a moment. She reminded him so much of Ladybug, it was incredible. He needed more of her, so he leaned back in. 

Chat Noir moved his kisses along Marinette's jaw and made his way to her neck. She gasped and tightened her grip on his blond locks. He shifted his hands around her, trying to grab every part of her that he could reach. 

"I love you Ladybug" he whispered, continuing to kiss up and down her neck. 

Marinette froze. For a split second she panicked, thinking that he had figured out her secret. But then she realized that something else was going on. 

She lowered her hands and pushed his shoulders back. 

He looked at her. "What's wrong?" he asked, out of breath. 

"What did you just say?" she whispered. 

Chat Noir smiled. "I said that I love you" he replied, trying to move in again to kiss her.

She pushed him back. "You said 'I love you Ladybug.'"

His eyes went wide as he realized that she was right. "I, uh... I'm sorry! That was a mistake. I meant that I love you Marinette" he sputtered out. 

She stared at him, tears welling up in her eyes. "You're still in love with her."

"No" he objected quickly, shaking his head. "Not anymore. I'm in love with you now. You just remind me of her, that's all. Your beautiful blue eyes, they look so much like hers. I'm so sorry, it was a mistake, I swear."

She pulled away from his grasp. "She was the one you were talking about in the car on the way home from the wax museum. You weren't interested in me, you only wanted her." A tear fell down her cheek. 

"Marinette, I don't want to be with her anymore. She rejected me" he said, trying to pull her towards him again. 

She shook him off. "So what does that make me? Your back-up plan? Ladybug doesn't want to be with you so you're settling for me instead?"

"No, that's not what I meant. Please Marinette, just let me explain" he pleaded. 

"You never even looked at me before. You only started paying attention to me after I told you about my crush. That's when you started coming here as Chat Noir" she said as the tears kept falling. "You came over and made me fall in love with you all over again."

Chat Noir couldn't breathe. She had already fallen in love with him again, but this time when he was his superhero alter-ego. 

Marinette paused for a moment but then continued. "Why did you let me say all of those things to you? You tricked me into telling you all that personal information. The umbrella story. My favorite picture of you. Why would you do that to me?" she finished with a whisper. 

He was horrified. He had never intended for any of that to happen. "I... I..." he stuttered before Marinette interrupted him. 

"I think you should leave. Please don't come back here anymore." She turned towards the hatch. 

Chat Noir reached out and grabbed her hand before she could walk away, spinning her back around. "Please don't go" he said, his eyes full of tears. "I'm so sorry Princess, I never meant to hurt you."

She looked up at him through the tears. "I'm not your Princess" she whispered, pulling her hand away and climbing through the hatch, closing it behind her. 

He stood there staring at the spot where Marinette had disappeared. It felt like the world was crashing in around him. Just minutes ago he was kissing the girl of his dreams. And now she wanted nothing to do with him. This couldn't be happening, this couldn't be the end.

"Marinette" he whispered to the night air. Why had he called her 'Ladybug'? He knew that he was in love with Marinette, but did Ladybug still have a piece of his heart? Is it possible to be in love with two people at the same time?

No, he didn't love Ladybug, not anymore. He had fallen in love with her the first day they met. Without knowing who she was, he fell hard and fast. 

But with Marinette, it was different. He had fallen in love with her slowly, knowing exactly who she was. She was real, and complicated, and wonderful, and he loved every part of her.

There was no comparing the two. Marinette won, hands down. 

He rushed over to the hatch and tried to pull it open. It was locked. "Marinette" he called out, banging on it. There was no answer. "Marinette, I'm going to wait right here until you're ready to talk, okay? I love you so much."

Still no response. Chat Noir sat down next to the hatch and leaned his back against the brick wall. How did everything go so wrong so fast?

He stayed there, eventually closing his eye as time went by. At one point he heard Marinette crying. He leaned over and knocked on the hatch. "I'm still here. Please let me in" he begged. The crying was stifled. He sat back against the wall and wiped his eyes.


	16. Chapter 16

Chat Noir woke up at dawn, his head resting on the hatch. He couldn't stay there any longer, he needed to get back home before anyone noticed that he was missing from his room. Not wanting to wake up Marinette, he got up and left. 

************************************

Adrien was in a hurry to get to school. He needed to talk to Marinette and convince her that they belonged together. But she wasn't with Alya and Nino when he arrived. And she wasn't in class when they got there.

He stared at the door until he saw her. Marinette came into the classroom right as the bell rang. But she didn't look at him.

He turned around when she sat in her seat. "Marinette" he whispered, trying to get her to look up at him. 

"Adrien" Miss Bustier interrupted. "Class has started. Please hold off on personal conversations until we're done."

"Sorry Miss Bustier" he mumbled, turning back to face the front of the classroom. 

Seconds on the clock ticked by at an agonizingly slow pace. Adrien didn't pay any attention to the lesson. He only thought about what he was going to say to Marinette.

When class ended he immediately turned around again. "Please Marinette, I just want to talk."

"There's nothing to talk about" she said quietly, standing up and walking past him.

He got up and followed her into the hallway. "Five minutes, that's all I need" he pleaded.

Marinette sighed and stopped walking, turning back to him. "Adrien, please stop. You don't want me, you want her. And maybe someday she'll realize how wonderful you really are and will want to be with you too. I'd hate to be in your way if that ever happens."

"I don't want her. I only want you" he said, tearing up.

"It's okay. We'll still be friends. We work great that way."

He shook his head. "No, Marinette."

She saw Alya and Nino approaching them from the corner of her eye. "It's better this way" she whispered before joining the other friends.

Adrien tried to speak with Marinette again all morning long but didn't have any luck. When the lunch hour arrived, she left the building with Alya.

He and Nino went to the locker room together to switch out their books for their afternoon classes. Adrien wasn't expecting to find a black umbrella leaning against his locker. 

His heart stopped at seeing it. It was the umbrella that he gave to Marinette on his first day of school. The umbrella that made her fall in love with him. And now she was giving it back.

He went over and picked it up gently. 

"Is it supposed to rain today?" Nino asked confused, looking over at him. 

"I don't think so" Adrien replied. "I... I have to go see Marinette" he continued, quickly moving to the door.

"Hey, wait up dude. I'll come with you" Nino called out, slamming his locker closed and following him. 

The two ran outside to the park, where they found the girls eating on the bench. Marinette looked up as Adrien walked up to her. He opened the umbrella and held it out to her, not saying anything. 

She stared at him for a moment. "That's yours Adrien" she said quietly. 

"I want you to have it" he said breathlessly, still holding it out.

She shook her head. "It's just an umbrella."

"No, it's not."

While they were talking, Alya slid all the way to the edge of the bench, trying to give them some space. 

Nino leaned in close to her. "What the hell is going on?" he asked. 

She shrugged in response, keeping her eyes on Marinette and Adrien. 

Marinette was speaking again. "Yes it is, and it reminds me of the one that your mom had in her movie. Now you can think of her whenever you use it."

"I'll only be able to think of you" Adrien said, his arm still outstretched. 

"Adrien, I..." Marinette started to say before she was interrupted by the sound of screams. She snapped her head around to look towards the street. People were running away from something. It had to be another akuma attack. 

Alya jumped up and grabbed her phone out of her pocket. "Another scoop for the Ladyblog" she announced excitedly, running towards the chaos.

"Babe, wait!" Nino called, chasing after her.

Marinette looked back at Adrien. He dropped the umbrella to the ground and grabbed her hand, pulling her up to her feet. Then he pulled her towards the building, not stopping until they were inside. 

"What are you doing?" she asked. "You need to transform."

"Not until I know that you're safe" he replied, ushering her into an empty classroom. "I need you to stay here and hide. Don't come out until this is all over, okay?"

Marinette nodded. 

He pulled her to the teacher's desk and gestured underneath. "Stay here. I'll be back soon." 

She crouched under the desk and sat on the floor. 

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien said, transforming into Chat Noir. "I'll be back soon" he repeated, taking one last look at her before going to the window and climbing out.

Tikki flew out of Marinette's purse and up to her face. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" she asked. 

"I'm sure. This is what he wants" Marinette replied. "Now come on, we're wasting time. Tikki, spots on!"


	17. Chapter 17

"Pound..." Ladybug started saying, her fist out. But she stopped, realizing that Chat Noir wasn't fist bumping her back. 

"I'm sorry Ladybug. I have to go" he said, walking away and taking his baton from his lower back. 

"Wait!" Ladybug called out before he could leave. "I need to talk to you."

He looked at her. "Can it wait until next time?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, it can't wait."

Putting the baton back, he walked over to her. "Okay, what's going on?" he asked. 

Ladybug's heart was racing as she closed the distance between them. "I, uh... I wanted to tell you..." She put her hand up to her hair, running her fingers through the strands of her pigtail. "I..."

He looked at her confused, putting his hands on her shoulders. "What is it?"

"I love you Chat" she whispered. 

His eyes grew wide and he stepped back in surprise. He must have misheard her. It almost sounded like she said... no, that's not possible. "Wh... what did you just say?" he asked.

She paused momentarily. "I said that I love you." She gave him a small smile. "I want us to be together. I've realized something over the last couple of weeks. I've realized how much I care about you... and I wanted to tell you that I've fallen in love with you."

"But... but what about the boy you were in love with?" Chat Noir asked. 

"It, um... didn't work out" Ladybug said, looking down for a moment before looking back at him. "So I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me sometime."

He couldn't believe his ears. Ladybug was confessing her love for him. After all the time they spent working together, she was finally interested in dating him. He couldn't remember how many times he dreamed about this moment. How he would feel. What he would say.

What came out of his mouth next was something he had never imagined saying.

"I'm sorry Ladybug, but I can't."

Her face fell. "You can't?" she repeated, clearly shocked. 

Chat Noir shook his head. "I'm sorry. You're wonderful. It's just that I... I can't."

"But... I thought that this is what you wanted."

"I did want it. But... I'm sorry, I... I'm in love with someone else."

There was silence for a minute before he spoke again. 

"I love someone else. And even if it takes forever, I'm going to wait for her to accept me and we're going to be together. Because she's worth it. She's worth everything to me. I... I'm really sorry Ladybug."

"No, don't be sorry. I understand" she insisted, tears welling up in her eyes. A small smile crossed her lips. "She sounds like a lucky girl."

Chat Noir moved up to her again. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah" she said, reaching up and wiping a tear away. "Yeah, I'm going to be fine. Don't worry about me." She pulled him in for a hug as her earrings started beeping. 

After a minute they separated. "Well, what are you waiting for?" Ladybug asked him, smiling. "Go get her!"

He smiled brightly. "Thanks Ladybug" he said, grabbing his baton and taking off. 

************************************

Chat Noir flew across the rooftops as fast as he could go. He landed in the empty classroom and quickly moved to the desk. "Marinette?" he asked, looking for her. She wasn't there.

He started panicking. Where could she be? She said she would stay here until he got back. Something bad couldn't have happened, could it?

"Claws in" he said, detransforming. Adrien caught Plagg and got a piece of Camembert for him. Then he ran out into the hallway, searching for Marinette. 

Now that the akuma alert had been called off, students were once again making their way to their afternoon classes. Adrien quickly checked the chemistry classroom and found Alya and Nino, but no Marinette.

After searching the other classrooms and the courtyard, he went outside. Still no sign of her. Running out of options, he hurried to the park.

His heart skipped a beat when his eyes landed on the beautiful blunette. "Marinette!" he yelled out, sprinting over to her. 

She turned around at hearing his voice, the open umbrella resting over her shoulder. He ran up and stopped in front of her. 

"I, uh... I didn't want you to lose this" Marinette explained, looking up at the umbrella fondly. 

Adrien tried to catch his breath. "Marinette, I love you. Please give me another chance" he said, stepping right up to her. 

She smiled sweetly at him. "I love you too. But do me a favor."

Adrien couldn't breathe again. "Anything" he squeaked out.

She smiled wider. "Don't call me 'Ladybug' anymore. People might look at us weird. 'Princess' or 'Marinette' is fine."

Adrien nodded. Then suddenly he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, leaning her back slightly. She put her free arm around his neck, her other hand still holding the umbrella.


	18. Epilogue

Adrien sighed as he sat at the table for the banquet dinner. He'd much rather be celebrating his and Marinette's one month anniversary, but instead he was stuck at another boring event, forced to go by his father.

As the evening was finally wrapping up, Adrien stood to say goodbye to all the people at the table. "Goodbye Mr. and Mrs. Bourgeois."

"Goodbye darling" Audrey said, getting up and giving him a hug. "What a wonderful young man to turned out to be. Your mother would be very proud."

"Thank you Mrs. Bourgeois" he replied. 

"And you should be proud of her too" the Mayor chimed in. "Do you remember when she was in our movie dear?" he asked his wife.

"Oh yes, she was marvelous" Audrey replied. She turned back to Adrien. "Your father still has a copy of her movie, doesn't he?"

"Yes he does" Adrien told her.

"That's right" the Mayor continued. "I believe that your father and Ladybug are the only two people in Paris who have a copy" he said chuckling. 

Adrien blinked at him. "Wh... what do you mean, Ladybug has a copy?"

"She asked us for a one a few months ago. Apparently she had been searching for a while but couldn't find it anywhere. Luckily we were able to track one down for her."

"You were able to track one down" he repeated quietly. 

"Yes, we were. And she was so excited when I gave it to her last month. What a lovely young lady" the Mayor commented.

"Well, we should be going now" Audrey said. "Say 'hello' to your father for me darling" she continued as the couple made their way to the door. 

Adrien's head was spinning. He had to sit down again.

Why on earth would Marinette ask Ladybug to help her find the movie? And why would she agree to it? That makes absolutely no sense. Unless... no, it couldn't be.

But... those eyes...

A smile slowly crept its way onto Adrien's face.

His mother's movie. The best gift he had ever received.

The gift that kept on giving.


End file.
